The Hanggai Band

This post is dedicated to my close friend, Jennifer, who is spending the next few months working in Asia, hopping between China, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia.

The Hanggai Band are a group of Mongolian musicians living in Beijing who filter traditional Central Asian sounds through a slightly more modern approach. That’s not to say that this is the Inner Mongolian retort to Vampire Weekend by any stretch of the imagination, but rather a respectful update on centuries-old techniques.

Here is a video, featuring a short live performance, from within the YouTube wasteland, no doubt stealing precious space from videos of drunk guys lighting their farts on fire:

You can download a live track by The Hanggai Band on the always wonderful blog Benn loxo du taccu, to which I owe a debt of gratitude for turning me on to this music. And if you like what you hear, you can find the album on eMusic.